Faithfully Listening to Obama

Terry Mattingly

Since returning this fall, Craig Dunham has asked his Biblical Ethics students at Westminster Christian Academy to focus on ways that conservative believers can participate in hot public debates, while showing respect for others.

This quote from the book “Uncommon Decency” led to timely discussions.

“How can we hold onto strongly felt convictions while still nurturing a spirit that is authentically kind and gentle? The answer is that it is not impossible — but it isn’t easy,” argued Fuller Seminary President Richard J. Mouw. “Convicted civility is something we have to work at. We have to work at it because both sides of the equation are very important.”

These class discussions are sure to continue after Dunham wrote a commentary urging other evangelicals to watch President Barack Obama’s back-to-school address with a mixture of respect and skepticism. Now, his students are getting an eyeful while reading fierce online criticisms of their teacher’s views.

While his own Christian school near St. Louis didn’t show the speech — which would have required cutting into curriculum several weeks into the semester — Dunham was stunned to hear that some parents were ready to keep their children at home in order to avoid seeing it.

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